2016 A Gamedev Plays Awards

This post is from the now defunct website “A GameDev Plays…”, copied here for posterity

Time for the first (hopefully, annual) end of year awards for the A
Gamedev Plays… website and YouTube
channel.

These are going to be a little different from other awards as they are
not going to be for games released in 2016. Instead any game played and
reviewed on this website in 2016 will be eligible. So click on the Full
Archives link to see what was considered. Not so
many this year, but then I haven’t played many games this year. Next
year will be better, as will every year thereafter!

A very competitive category. This year I played many great games that
took an earlier idea and improved upon it. 80
Days almost won with its additions to my
favourite Interactive Fiction. TASTEE: Lethal
Tactics is an honourable
mention with its slight, but slick reworking of well-worn
Turn-Based tactics standards. However, in
the end Atomic Zombie
Smasher just edges the
competition with its clever and addictive Tower
Defense crossed with Orbital
Shooter gameplay.

It is always much harder (and more risky) to create new ideas than
improve existing successful examples. This year two games stood out as
innovative to me, but Tharsis is the
clear winner here. Those rolling dice inspired by board-games and the
dedication to theme encourages me to try out fresh ideas.
Congratulations also go to the developer of
Gladiabots, with its build your own AI
system scratching an itch I previously did not know existed - despite
being just an alpha version! I look forward to playing it again nearer
completion.

Another competitive category. Most decent
Puzzle games qualify for a start. While
considering the contenders, a few kept returning to mind. These games
are still installed on my desktop weeks and sometimes months after first
playing them. Games like: Atomic Zombie
Smasher; 80
Days;
Gladiabots; and TASTEE: Lethal
Tactics. Although one game
has both been on my HDD for an extended period and has been played
repeatedly over that time. Well done Defense
Grid!

I struggled a little over the naming of this category. Ultimately, the
term used occasionally on the 3MA
podcast felt right. To be a glorious
failure is not an insult. It is a mark of bravery. These games tried
something new, something strange. They pushed back the boundaries of
game design. Although, ultimately there is something lacking in the game
that means it can not be called an unqualified success.
Tharsis is a good example. It might be a
good well-designed game, but it is also unremittingly dark and thus not
greatly enjoyable to play repeatedly. The winner is AI War: Fleet
Command for its clever and deep reworking
of RTS tropes, combined with an awful player interface and murderously
steep learning curve.

This was a choice between 80 Days and
Atomic Zombie Smasher. 80
is the winner, such an excellent game. It also gets bonus points for
being the only game this year that my girlfriend enjoyed too. Well done,
an incredible achievement overall!

And that is it. Join me again this time next year for the 2nd annual
awards!